Global Warming Webquest Student page

Introduction

Introduction

Global warming and its potential harmful impacts has become a pressing issues facing scientists and policy makers all over the world. In this activity, you are being called into action by the United Nations to examine the causes and potential impacts of global warming and to develop policy recommendations for adoption by UN member nations. You serve as an expert member of a climate action team working on global warming issues. Your team will investigate the following questions:

• Is the climate warming?
• What role, if any, do humans have in contributing to climate change?
• What policy choices can be made to respond to global warming?

The UN has asked that you pay special attention to sustainable energy and the production of greenhouse gases. While much is now known about climate change and energy use, there are still many questions that need to be answered and decisions that will have to be made in order to address the problems associated with global warming.

For this project you will work in groups of five. As a team, you will use the Koshland Science Museum website along with other web-based resources to investigate climate change and global warming. Your initial investigation will be completed as a group using the Group Worksheet. NOTE – While this scenario is fictitious, many of the questions addressed in this activity are the same questions being considered by real-life climate scientists, economists, policy analysts, energy experts, and urban planners.

Group Activity

Global Warming Webquest Group Activity page

Answer the following questions to gather information needed by your team before you begin working in your individual roles.

Why should you care? Watch the videotaped interview with Dr. John Holdren (President of AAAS, Director of the Woods Hole Research Center, and Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy at Harvard University) for an introduction to why climate change is an important issue: AAAS President’s Climate-Change Message

1) Before you begin your investigation of the changing climate, you should be aware of the differences between “climate” and “weather.”

2) The UN is concerned that carbon dioxide (CO2) may have something to do with recent changes in the climate. Learn about CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the Greenhouse Effect section of the Marian Koshland Science Museum website.

4) Humans, like any other species on this planet, will see many alterations in their environment as the global climate changes. These differences will affect people and their environments differently depending on where they live. Explore the Changes and Impacts sections of the Koshland website and discover how global warming will affect the lives of different people all over the world.

Individual Roles

Global Warming Webquest Individual Roles page

Now that you have learned about the causes of climate change and the impacts of global warming, more research is needed about how to study and respond to climate change. Each member of the group will now assume a role for the investigative team of experts (Climate Scientist, Policy Analyst, Economist, Energy Expert, and Urban Planner). Each of you will work individually, according to your role, and investigate the issues related to global warming from several different perspectives. When finished with your individual research, you will share what you have learned with your team and prepare a report to be presented to UN officials.

Global Warming Webquest Climate Scientist page

1) Write a half-page biography describing the training needed to become a climate scientist. What kind of subjects should a potential climate scientist study in school? What kind of activities do climate scientists conduct on a day-to-day basis?

4) Scientists have used proxy data sources to reconstruct climate conditions over the past 800,000 years. Examine the historical and present climate data. What is the relationship between CO2 and temperature? Before modern times, what were the highest levels of CO2 recorded?

5) Climate scientists use complicated computer models to better understand the climate and predict climate change in the future. What have these models told us about future climate change? What are some of the factors that cause different models to produce different projections?

Policy Analyst: Learn how laws and public policy can affect climate change.

1) Write a half page biography describing what training you need to become a policy analyst. What kind of subjects would you need to study in school? What kind of activities do you conduct on a day-to-day basis?

3) On the national level, what are some of the federal policies and initiatives that have been proposed to reduce fossil fuel consumption? How do the federal initiatives differ from the state proposals?

Economist: Study the economic impacts associated with global warming and see how business leaders are responding to the changing climate.

Global Warming Webquest Economist page

1) Write a half-page biography describing the training needed to become an economist. What kind of subjects would a potential economist study in school? What kind of activities do economists conduct on a day-to-day basis?

3) The ways in which countries and businesses respond to global warming are bound to impact national and international economies.. What are some of the options being proposed for businesses as they try to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions? How are different countries trying to lessen the negative economic impacts associated with reducing greenhouse gas emissions on a national level?

4) How can an individual calculate his or her “carbon footprint”? What are some of the economic choices that individuals can make to reduce their carbon footprint? How do companies offset an individual's carbon impact?

Energy Expert: Explore how we get energy for transportation and electricity and learn how energy use impacts the climate.

Global Warming Webquest Energy Expert page

1) Write a half-page biography describing the training needed to become an energy expert. What kind of subjects would potential energy experts study in school? What kind of activities do energy experts conduct on a day-to-day basis?

Urban Planner: See how architects, engineers, and city planners are responding to climate change by using sustainable materials and energy efficient designs.

Global Warming Webquest Policy Analyst page

1) Write a half-page biography describing the training needed to become an urban planner. What kind of subjects would potential urban planners need to study in school? What kind of activities do urban planners conduct on a day-to-day basis?

Final Group Activity

Global Warming Webquest Summary Activity page

After each member of the group has completed the individual worksheets, the group should prepare a report and/or a presentation answering the following questions:

1) Is the Earth’s climate warming? If so, what are the causes and how have human activities contributed to this warming? How confident are scientists about climate change? What kind of information is still needed to bolster understanding of global warming (e.g. environmental impacts, computer models, historical data, economic costs)?

2) What choices do humans have for responding to global climate change? Present the choices available at the personal, state, federal, and international levels. What are the pros and cons associated with these different choices? How will these choices affect the economy, public policy, our lifestyles, and the kinds of technologies used?

3) Make recommendations for the United Nations member countries detailing what you think their policies should be regarding scientific research, international treaties, funding new technologies and energy sources, federal legislation, environmental impacts, etc. How will countries from different parts of the world need to respond differently?

Each question should be answered in a one-page report (for a total of three pages). All members of the group must approve the report before it is turned in. To answer the questions, use the information gathered by each individual, and then move to references in the Teachers Resources section.

Conclusion
Congratulations! You have responded to an urgent need in the international community. Thank you for participating in the Koshland Science Museum’s Global Warming Webquest. Your work may help others to become more aware of the problems associated with global warming, as well as some of the potential solutions.